My first encounter with Eudora Welty's work was truly a delight.

The vivid descriptions of Delta life in the book bear a striking resemblance to the tales my grandmother shared with me. She grew up in the peach country of Middle Georgia during the same era as the setting of the book.

Welty's masterful use of Southern vernacular is spot-on. The words and phrases she employs are ones that I was familiar with from my own upbringing in South Georgia.

Some reviewers may have found the relationships between the black "servants" and the family a bit uncomfortable. However, based on my grandmother's stories, I suspect they are quite typical of that time period.

Thankfully, in our post-civil rights world, the complex and sometimes unfair relationships depicted in the book are difficult to fully comprehend.

Nonetheless, the descriptions of the characters, their somewhat careless love for one another, and even the rather off-handed way they deal with the death of Laura's mother all seem authentic for that era.

It provides a wonderful portrait of a bygone era, showing how people lived their daily lives and celebrated special occasions like a wedding.

Overall, it was a captivating read that offered a fascinating glimpse into a different time and place.

Delta Wedding: Lingering Awhile

Delta Wedding by Eudora Welty was a significant choice for the members of On the Southern Literary Trail. It was selected as their group read for November, 2015. Special gratitude goes to Co-Moderator Diane "Miss Scarlett" for nominating this remarkable work.

The story seems to have a certain charm that makes readers want to linger. The time to say goodbye is approaching, and it will be a time of sadness. But the lyrics of "linger on awhile" add a touch of longing and romance.

The stars above seem to whisper words of love, inviting the listener to linger. When the beloved has gone away, every hour feels like a day. There is something yet to be told, something that makes the heart yearn for more time together.

Eudora Welty's portrait and the image of the first edition of Delta Wedding add a visual element to the narrative. The work is still in progress, and there is more to come, leaving readers eager to discover what lies ahead in this captivating story.

Right from the start, I was completely drawn into the story by the exceptional writing and the evocative sense of place. It is a novel that truly deserves slow and considered reading.

Although there isn't a huge amount of plot, the story of a large Mississippi family in the weeks around the wedding of their daughter to the plantation overseer is quite wonderful.

"People are mostly layers of violence and tenderness wrapped like bulbs, and it is difficult to say what makes them onions or hyacinths."

In September 1923, nine-year-old Laura McRaven travels on the Yellow Dog train from Jackson, Mississippi to the family plantation of Shellmound on the Mississippi delta. Laura's mother has died, and at Shellmound, she is enveloped by the enormous Fairchild family - her mother's family. The cast of characters is huge, and it took me a while to get to grips with who was who. I found some names confusing, a child with the same name as his father and several older aunts called by their husbands' names; for example, Aunt Jim Allen and Aunt Robbie married to Uncle George - it doesn't take much to confuse me.

As Laura arrives, the family is beginning to gather for the wedding of Dabney, the prettiest of the Fairchild children. She is still only seventeen and about to marry an older man, Troy Flavin, a man from the mountains, the family overseer, and there is the feeling that deep down the Fairchilds don't fully approve. Though everyone treats Dabney with all the deference due to a beautiful young bride-to-be, giving her advice and gently teasing.

"‘Don't ever let this husband of yours, whoever he is, know you can cook, Dabney Fairchild, or you'll spend the rest of your life in the kitchen. That's the first thing I want to tell you.’”

Full review: https://heavenali.wordpress.com/2018/...

Shelley's Diary contains a truly captivating portrayal of a family. It delves into various aspects such as how others perceive them, their self-perception, and the irony of their closeness despite not truly knowing one another. This really resonated with me as there is a family in my vicinity that has made a profound impression. However, they remain a mysterious entity, closely intertwined with my life yet always out of my reach. Welty masterfully captured this exact sensation.

She was indeed a remarkable writer. Her description of hot summer nights in the South was flawless. Although the story lacks a traditional plot, this actually served to spotlight the characters and the family as a whole against the backdrop of everyday life in the Delta. Nevertheless, not much really "happened" (apart from the obvious wedding). This led to my rating it as a 3.5-star read. However, due to the enjoyment factor, I rounded it up to 4 stars.

"Sometimes I believe we live most privately just when things are most crowded, like in the Delta, like for a wedding." This line from Shelley's Diary further emphasizes the complex and often paradoxical nature of family life and personal experiences.

I remember the last family reunion I attended, perhaps around 1961 or 1962. It was my mother's side of the family, with Southern US roots, though they had been away from Tennessee, Arkansas, and Missouri for about 50 years. It was not like my father's starched New England, Ohio, and Illinois side.

I was 11 or 12 then. This particular reunion was held in summer in a park. All the family adults brought Coca Cola, beer, fried chicken, potato salad, cookies, and other delicious treats. There were also lots of kids, from newborns to newlyweds, games to play, gossip, countless secrets, hopes, disappointments, and probably scandals. But I was too young to understand some of these. It was an innocent time.

I was completely immersed in taking in all this family, the conversations, the activities of my cousins, and the overall experience. I had a Kodak Brownie Starlight camera, and some of those pictures still exist, although my photographic skills were questionable. They show a time and place with many people who have since passed away, including my own mother and father (actually stepfather, but that's another story).

Delta Wedding brought back this experience for me. It was a wonderful journey down a nostalgia rabbit hole. The story centers around the marriage of Dabney Fairchild. While my family reunions weren't weddings, the gatherings had all the same variety of characters, as beautifully described by Welty, although of course they were particularly and uniquely different in their own ways.

This evocation of family in a memorable time is what impressed me so much about this book. It brought to mind women with dyed blond hair and lipstick, men with loud voices and tanned arms, quiet young mothers, teens unsure of their place, and children with scabby knees and bee stings.

I listened to the audiobook mostly while driving in my car. At first, I found it hard to keep track of all the characters, and there are many! I wished I had the physical book so I could take notes. I'm still not entirely sure about all the family connections, but in the end, they were all clearly drawn and distinct, and it didn't really matter. In any case, they were all either Fairchilds, or married to them, or descended from them.

Although the Fairchild gathering for the wedding takes place in a very specific place (not my Sacramento valley park), I think that for those who have had a large number of cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents, and grand aunts and uncles gathered in one place, this will be a familiar story. Familiar like family. For me, that trip down memory lane made me feel both happy and sad at the same time.

4.5 stars.

I truly have a profound love for the manner in which Eudora Welty captures the cadences of Southern speech.

Her writing is a masterful portrayal of the unique rhythm and intonation that is so characteristic of the South.

Moreover, she presents characters with deceptively-slow appearances that hide the swirling complexities of depth within their experiences.

These seemingly unassuming facades mask a wealth of emotions, memories, and inner turmoil.

Welty's ability to揭示 these hidden layers is what makes her work so captivating and thought-provoking.

It allows the reader to truly understand the characters on a deeper level and appreciate the rich tapestry of their lives.

Her writing is a testament to the power of language and the importance of looking beyond the surface to discover the true essence of a person.

Overall, Eudora Welty's work is a literary gem that continues to inspire and engage readers to this day.

How wonderful and three-dimensional it is.

It's a novel about an event that is not really an event - yes, the wedding in the Delta, as promised. The action begins with a little girl traveling by train from the city to this wedding and ends with a picnic several days after the wedding.

There are quite a lot of characters, and all of them are probably of equal importance. At first, it seems that the little girl will be the main heroine, but soon you understand that all (it seems like hundreds) of her cousins, aunts, and great-aunts will be almost as full-fledged and vivid heroes, and some of them will also be given a voice (no, not in the first person, just as a point of view).

And the same three-dimensional Delta, with water, thrushes, cotton, the sleepy charm of the September heat, although there are no excessive descriptions of nature. And the houses that these crazy Fairchilds have arranged - and I don't even know whether to attribute them to nature or to people.

Non male ma non credo indimenticabile. This statement holds a certain truth. Perhaps the work in question has its merits, but it may not have left an indelible mark. It could be that it was overshadowed by the great works that came before it, such as those of Faulkner. Reading something after being exposed to the brilliance of Faulkner can sometimes make other works seem less remarkable. However, this does not mean that the work is without value. It may have its own unique qualities and perspectives that are worth exploring. Maybe it offers a different take on a particular theme or presents a new style of writing. We should not simply dismiss it because it was read after Faulkner. Instead, we should approach it with an open mind and try to appreciate it for what it is.

Only Eudora Welty could handle this enormous cast of characters with such fluidity and poetry. It's a large Southern family, a complex web of relationships and emotions. There are many things and many people missing. A young girl's mother has passed away, leaving a void that seems impossible to fill. The family struggles to come to terms with the loss of their favorite child, and the pain lingers like a heavy cloud. A wife has left her husband, shattering their once harmonious life. Even jewelry goes missing, adding another layer of mystery and uncertainty. At the end, as we watch the falling stars with the young girl, we can think, as she does, that we "saw where it fell." It's a moment of beauty and wonder, but also a reminder of the impermanence of life. Eudora Welty's writing brings this family and their story to life in a way that is both captivating and deeply moving.

I have just completed reading The Ponder Heart by Eudora Welty. It was such a captivating read that I immediately craved for more of her works. Interestingly, my edition of the book I'm about to read is not listed anywhere. I bought it way back in 1974 when it was first published. Since then, it has been sitting untouched on various bookshelves in the different cities where I have lived. It seems like fate has now intervened, and it's finally time to give this book the attention it deserves. I'm excited to embark on this new literary journey with Eudora Welty and see what wonderful stories and insights this particular book has to offer.

Why I'm reading this: I just finished The Ponder Heart and was in the mood for more Welty. My edition of this book is not listed, but I purchased it in 1974 when it was published, and it has sat unread on many bookshelves in the cities I've lived since then. Time to read it!

I just finished this delightful audiobook. 3.5 rounded up.

There are lots of voices going all at once, just like in other Welty books I've read.

There is something of a slightly elevated sense of anxiety in the air - and not just because of the looming wedding. Maybe it's a family that is just a tad high strung.

This book made me think more than a few times of Steel Magnolias. It also made me think of Nancy Mitford's The Pursuit of Love books.

However, it sort of lost some heart for me when the garnet pin fell in the river. (Even though it didn't play much of a part in the story.)

I wonder if anyone else read George as (probably/maybe) a little bit gay/queer/faggy? It's an interesting aspect to consider and could add another layer of depth to the character's development.

Overall, despite that one moment that made me lose a bit of interest, the audiobook was still an enjoyable listen with its complex characters and engaging story.

As God is my witness, Scarlet, I TRIED!

Look, I'm Southern. Both sides of my family have been here since before the Revolutionary War. My ancestors endured hardships, some dying of smallpox in Richmond, others of pneumonia in Atlanta, and still others losing their arms and legs in various battles. Some even deserted, if they weren't captured first. If it weren't for my relatives' efforts, the South might have won the Civil War.

Furthermore, I have a great love for Eudora Welty, who was a remarkable woman. I've read numerous wonderful stories about her sharp and sometimes salty wit. If I had to choose my favorite story, "Why I Live at the P.O." would be tied with Damon Runyon's "Too Much Pep." I recently re-read "P.O." and laughed just as hysterically as I did the first time.

However, I should have loved this book, but instead, I forced myself to read the first fifty pages and then gave up. The people in the story seem so silly, and if there is a hint of a plot, I couldn't grasp it. Yes, the writing is good, and the descriptions are detailed and probably accurate, but I want a book with a story, and the part I read didn't have one.

My relatives were from the mountains of north Georgia, and by the 1920s (when this story is set), they were living in Upper South cities like Atlanta. From what I remember hearing from my older relatives, I can't imagine any of them acting like Welty's characters.

Yet, I've read and loved books set in many different cultures and eras. So, there must be more to my dislike than the fact that it doesn't mirror my family's experiences. Maybe the story gets better towards the middle of the book. Maybe it's considered Great Literature. All I know is that it bored me to death. There were too many characters, and I never felt like any of them significantly contributed to the story.

My apologies, Miz Eudora. Maybe the fault lies with me, but I can't give you a thumbs-up on this one.